SAN JOSE, Calif. — At 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, Oklahoma State
freshman Marcus Smart presents usual size for a point guard.

And an unusual matchup problem for Oregon.

How the 12th-seeded Ducks (26-8) choose — or try — to defend the Big 12
Conference player of the year could ultimately be the determining factor in
Thursday's second-round NCAA Tournament game against the No. 5-seed Cowboys
(24-8). Tipoff at HP Pavilion is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. on TNT.

Oregon's freshman point guard, the 6-1, 185-pound Dominic
Artis, insisted he was up for the defensive challenge. The task, on paper,
looks even more daunting for the Ducks' 5-foot-7 backup point guard, Johnathan
Loyd.

"He's like a tank with the basketball," UO assistant coach
Kevin McKenna said of Smart. "He's big and strong and people get out of the way
when he's driving it."

Many project Smart, a finalist for the John Wooden national player of the year award, as a top-five NBA Draft pick this season.
He averaged a team-high 15.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists while helping
the Cowboys to a third-place finish in the Big 12.

"He's pretty big," Artis said. "He hits the boards real
hard. Most point guards get back. But he hits the boards real hard, so that'll
be a difference in keeping him out of the lane."

Oregon is hoping the speed of Artis and Loyd will benefit
them against Smart. In all likelihood, the Ducks will use multiple defenders —
think Damyean Dotson, E.J. Singler and Carlos Emory — and "help" team defense.

"I definitely have
a size advantage against a lot of players, guards that I play," Smart said
Wednesday. "You've just got to use that to our advantage. Defensively for them
it's going to be hard to match‑up against me because of my size. My teammates
recognize and I recognize it and it's just a matter of how I'm going to exploit
that in the game when it comes and get me in the right spot, the right position
to exploit that."

Of course, a team
doesn't reach the NCAA Tournament with only one good player. The Cowboys' other
starting guard, the 6-3 Markel Brown, is averaging 15.4 points this season.

"They are a one‑two
punch that is really going to give us problems," UO coach Dana Altman said. "Defensively
we're going to have to be on top of our game. Brown can explode, like he has in
a number of games, and just take over the game."